Asylum and Humanitarian Law

Asylum/Refugee Law and Other Humanitarian Immigration Law

Knisbacher Law Offices assists in applications for asylum or refugee status, as well as for individuals in need of shelter or aid from disasters, oppression, emergency medical issues, and other urgent circumstances. Listed below are the humanitarian benefits our office assists with.

Refugee Status or Asylum may be granted to people who have been persecuted or fear they will be persecuted on account of race, religion, nationality, and/or membership in a particular social group or political opinion. Applicants are also able to apply for permanent resident status one year after a grant of asylum. You may include your spouse and any unmarried children under the age of 21 in your own asylum application if your spouse or children are in the United States. Our office has assisted hundreds of applicants to apply for asylum or refugee status, particularly individuals from Iran, Afghanistan, Tibet, El Salvador, and Guatemala. Our office will work closely with you throughout the duration of the filing process. For a consultation contact us at (510) 545-3527 or use our online form.

Battered Spouse, Children, and Parents of U.S. citizens or permanent residents may file for immigration benefits without the abuser’s knowledge under the Violence against Women Act (VAWA). VAWA allows certain spouses, children, and parents of U.S. citizens and permanent residents (green card holders) to file a petition for themselves without the abuser’s knowledge. This will allow you to seek both safety and independence from the abuser. The provisions of VAWA apply equally to women and men. Your abuser will not be notified that you have filed for immigration benefits under VAWA. Help is also available from the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224 (TDD). The hotline has information about shelters, mental health care, legal advice, and other types of assistance, including information about filing for immigration status.

Victims of Human Trafficking and Other Crimes may receive immigration status in certain circumstances. Individuals and their families may fall victim to many types of crime in the U.S. These crimes include rape, murder, manslaughter, domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and many others. (U) and (T) Visas allow the victims of crimes and also victims of certain employment law violations to obtain nonimmigrant visas regardless of their current status and also allow them to eventually become permanent residents.

Humanitarian Parole is sparingly used to bring someone otherwise inadmissible into the United States for a temporary period of time due to compelling emergencies.

Temporary Protected Status is granted to qualified people in the United States who are temporarily unable to return safely to their home country because of an extraordinary condition. These include individuals from El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Somalia, Sudan, and Haiti.

Special Situations occur where assistance may be available to people whose immigration application or status has been affected by natural catastrophes and other extreme circumstances, such as the Ebola virus.